Poverty Is Not An Accident

[Taco]

Most people are financially illiterate and poverty is the end result....

[Contrarian Expatriate]

I don't agree with much of what he talks about here. Poverty has nothing to do with lack of financial education in schools. Poverty is a lifestyle decision influenced by one's environment, family, or culture.

Very few people actually want to remain in poverty, but scant few want to do what it takes to escape poverty! Hence, it is a passive decision to not do what it takes to get out of it.

I don't disrespect any man who lives in poverty. But I revile men who won't do what it takes to get out!

[Neo]

I don't agree with much of what he talks about here. Poverty has nothing to do with lack of financial education in schools. Poverty is a lifestyle decision influenced by one's environment, family, or culture.

Very few people actually want to remain in poverty, but scant few want to do what it takes to escape poverty! Hence, it is a passive decision to not do what it takes to get out of it.

I don't disrespect any man who lives in poverty. But I revile men who won't do what it takes to get out!

What must a person do to escape poverty?

[Moretorque]

I was just listening to an interview on I believe Sarah Westall and the person being interveiwed claimed 60% of the world lives on 10 $ a day or less and 50% lived on 3 $ a day. He claimed to be one of the 1 % you need to own 770,000 $ in assets or more.

As the current financial system runs it's course after each debt cycle there will be fewer and fewer of the 1% ers left each time. Welcome to the feudel state of world wide communism, the wealth divide has seriously accelerated over the last 50 to 100 years under this debt based system as well as losing property and basic rights.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

I don't agree with much of what he talks about here. Poverty has nothing to do with lack of financial education in schools. Poverty is a lifestyle decision influenced by one's environment, family, or culture.

Very few people actually want to remain in poverty, but scant few want to do what it takes to escape poverty! Hence, it is a passive decision to not do what it takes to get out of it.

I don't disrespect any man who lives in poverty. But I revile men who won't do what it takes to get out!

What must a person do to escape poverty?

That depends on that person's individual circumstances. But it can be some combination of:

Delaying gratification.
Delaying parenthood.
Delaying or forgoing marriage altogether.
Improving oneself in terms of class markers (Speaking differently, dressing differently, polishing one's appearance, behavior, etc)
Moving to wherever the job opportunities are.
Valuing educational attainment, whatever the level.
Obtaining marketable or transferable skill sets thru job experience or training.
Developing the mindset that wealth is there for the taking and not scarce.

The most difficult but most important one is:
Distancing oneself from peers or family who DO NOT want to see you escape.

Most people who are impoverished continuously sabotage themselves or they allow others to keep them from advancing upwards. While I did not grow up in poverty, I grew up working class (but around significant poverty) and I encountered the same obstacles in jumping from the working class to the middle class, to the upper middle class and finally into the nouveau riche class.

Escaping poverty is an exercise in social mobility or class jumping, but the challenges are greater because the social pressures against advancing are the greatest at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder.

[Zambales]

Depends if it's poverty (if you can call it that) in a developed country or an undeveloped country. If it's the latter, individuals have a very slim chance of ever improving their life whereas ones in the developed world have far more opportunities. Anyone who doesn't make a sustained effort to better themselves in the more affluent countries are a waste of oxygen in my opinion with some exceptions, such as those who have some kind of disability or illness.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

Depends if it's poverty (if you can call it that) in a developed country or an undeveloped country.

I used to think that way, but I don't buy it any longer. After over two decades of traveling to over 135 countries, I can tell you that poor people in under-developed countries accept the roles of their poverty and don't see rising out of it as more desirable than living in that expected role. Moreover, life schedules and life milestones often fly in the face of efforts to get out of poverty. I once had a young guy who owned my gym in Albania, lecture me about the importance of Albanians marrying young bla, bla, bla. His gym later closed and he was afterward begging me for a job due to his having had a wife and children by that time. This mentality is the problem of such countries.

Granted, in under-developed countries there are sometimes complex levers to pull such as bribing professors, public officials, cracking into networks, paying tribute taxes to network bosses, etc. But people do break out of poverty in those countries every single day.

But if you try telling that to the village idiot who was married with 10 kids by age 25 and he will just tell you it is impossible because it is for him.

[Cornfed]

Anyone who doesn't make a sustained effort to better themselves in the more affluent countries are a waste of oxygen in my opinion with some exceptions, such as those who have some kind of disability or illness.

If you are broke in the West usually the only way you can better yourself financially these days is to get a job of some sort and there may be none available. It doesn't matter what kind of sustained effort you make since jobs are not magically puffed into existence due to the sustained effort of unemployed people.

[Zambales]

Anyone who doesn't make a sustained effort to better themselves in the more affluent countries are a waste of oxygen in my opinion with some exceptions, such as those who have some kind of disability or illness.

If you are broke in the West usually the only way you can better yourself financially these days is to get a job of some sort and there may be none available. It doesn't matter what kind of sustained effort you make since jobs are not magically puffed into existence due to the sustained effort of unemployed people.

I totally get that especially for people living in rural area's. You don't have to get a job to make an income though do you? And I don't blame anyone who follows this route. Minimum wage jobs for instance are just for existing, not living in the true sense. It's only enough to keep you alive to toil aboard the slave ship until retirement.

[Zambales]

Depends if it's poverty (if you can call it that) in a developed country or an undeveloped country.

I used to think that way, but I don't buy it any longer. After over two decades of traveling to over 135 countries, I can tell you that poor people in under-developed countries accept the roles of their poverty and don't see rising out of it as more desirable than living in that expected role. Moreover, life schedules and life milestones often fly in the face of efforts to get out of poverty. I once had a young guy who owned my gym in Albania, lecture me about the importance of Albanians marrying young bla, bla, bla. His gym later closed and he was afterward begging me for a job due to his having had a wife and children by that time. This mentality is the problem of such countries.

Granted, in under-developed countries there are sometimes complex levers to pull such as bribing professors, public officials, cracking into networks, paying tribute taxes to network bosses, etc. But people do break out of poverty in those countries every single day.

But if you try telling that to the village idiot who was married with 10 kids by age 25 and he will just tell you it is impossible because it is for him.

I think oppression plays a part as well, sapping the energy from people.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

If you are broke in the West usually the only way you can better yourself financially these days is to get a job of some sort and there may be none available. It doesn't matter what kind of sustained effort you make since jobs are not magically puffed into existence due to the sustained effort of unemployed people.

Convicted felon or not, in this job market, you are an unmitigated moron if you can't find gainful employment. Employers are begging for workers and they are scraping the bottom of the barrel to bring people on.

But for idiots, lame excuses are easier than actually putting forth the effort to make something of oneself. Newsflash: Your life sucks because of YOU and for no other reason. You can't make everyone understand that, but some people deserve to just suffer their fate.

[Cornfed]

If you are broke in the West usually the only way you can better yourself financially these days is to get a job of some sort and there may be none available. It doesn't matter what kind of sustained effort you make since jobs are not magically puffed into existence due to the sustained effort of unemployed people.

Convicted felon or not, in this job market, you are an unmitigated moron if you can't find gainful employment. Employers are begging for workers and they are scraping the bottom of the barrel to bring people on.

As if someone like you on permanent government welfare for being a pavement ape would know anything about the labor market.

[Contrarian Expatriate]

If you are broke in the West usually the only way you can better yourself financially these days is to get a job of some sort and there may be none available. It doesn't matter what kind of sustained effort you make since jobs are not magically puffed into existence due to the sustained effort of unemployed people.

Convicted felon or not, in this job market, you are an unmitigated moron if you can't find gainful employment. Employers are begging for workers and they are scraping the bottom of the barrel to bring people on.

As if someone like you on permanent government welfare for being a pavement ape would know anything about the labor market.

And that's why you'll stay poor.

I used to sit on dozens of hiring committees and the moments I encountered worthless bums like you, I'd cut the interview short and send them out the door. So apparently a lot of people pick up on the fact that you are a worthless idiot and that's why you can't even get a simple job. I know of pre-teens better able to secure employment than you.

[Cornfed]

And that's why you'll stay poor.

I'm not actually terribly poor now by local standards (admittedly low) and will probably start the business I talked about and be able to carry it for a year or so if it doesn't take off. I couldn't do this if I were broke. But, you say, I shouldn't have to start a business at my age. That I should be living off my government pension and investments made therefrom. Is that your position?

See, I actually think you genuinely believe this, but it is not true. People take the things they have given to them for granted. As a black male, if you want to join, say, the police, you just have to show up, act like a normal human, pass the basic tests and be guaranteed admission. Now, you probably think this is true for everyone, but it is not. As a white man, you can do all this and be refused for any or no reason or because they would love to hire you but there are just no places because they have to hire more "protected classes" for legal reasons.

I genuinely think you don't have a clue how things are nowadays. Then again, it is not just you. Boomers, young females, non-feral blacks, children of rich parents etc. - they all don't have a clue.

[Cornfed]

Delaying gratification.
Delaying parenthood.
Delaying or forgoing marriage altogether.
Improving oneself in terms of class markers (Speaking differently, dressing differently, polishing one's appearance, behavior, etc)
Moving to wherever the job opportunities are.
Valuing educational attainment, whatever the level.
Obtaining marketable or transferable skill sets thru job experience or training.
Developing the mindset that wealth is there for the taking and not scarce.

Have gibs handed to you for being a pavement ape.